Electrical connector



March 8, 1955 H. c. DOANE 2,703,872

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed May 15, 1952 inventor United States PatentELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Harry C. Doane, Flint, Mich., assignor to GeneralMotors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of DelawareApplication May 15, 1952, Serial No. 287,879

2 Claims. (Cl. 339258) This invention relates to electrical connectorsfor use with wiring harness employed in the electrical systems ofautomotive vehicles and for other purposes.

An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connectorincluding a resilient receptacle capable of expanding to receive anelectricallyj conductive plug but provided with means for limitingtheexpansion thereof to prevent injury to the receptacle when theinsulated conductor associated with the plug is jerked or pulledlaterally with a greater than normal force.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of an electrical connectorembracing the principles of the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the connector shownby Figure 1 in the plane of line 2--2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the connector shownby Figure 1 in the plane of line 3-3 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the electrical connector illustrated bythe preceding figures and showing the receptacle and plug indisassembled relation.

In the drawing the electrical connector comprises a resilientelectrically conductive receptacle 11 and an electrically conductiveplug 12. The plug 12 comprises a cylindrical or tubular part 13 havingan outwardly flanged end 14 and being annularly contracted intermediatethe ends as is indicated at 16. The inner surface of the annularlycontracted part 16 is adapted to receive and to support the exteriorsurface of a wire formed by an insulated sheath 17 surrounding anelectrical conductor 18. The end of the conductor 18 projects beyond thesheath 17 as is indicated at 19 and there is secured within thecontracted end 21 of the plug 12 by radially inwardly extendingindentations indicated at 22. The conductor end 19 also is securedwithin the reduced or contracted end 21 by the application of solderindicated at 23.

The receptacle 11 is formed by laterally and inwardly bending theopposite edges 26 and 27 of a resilient electrically conductive stripindicated at 28 The laterally bent ends 26 and 27 are formed in such away as to provide a cylindrical part 29 of approximately the samediameter as the cylindrical part 13 of the plug 12 and a cylindricalpart 31 adjacent the end of the receptacle 11 and somewhat larger thanthe cylindrical part 29. The enlarged cylindrical part 31 provides anexpanded entrance to the cylindrical part 29. The ends 26 and 27 arespaced as is indicated at 25 and are formed in such a way as to provideoppositely disposed slots 32 extending inwardly from the edges betweenthe cylindrical parts 29 and 31. The slots 32 form oppositely disposedfingers 33 having depressed ends 34 adapted to project inwardly in suchmanner as to be engaged and to be expanded outwardly by the cylindricalpart 13 of the plug 12 when the plug 12 is inserted in the receptacle11. The cylindrical part 29 also has oppositely disposed slots 36 formedin the edges 26 and 27 intermediate the opposite ends of the cylindricalpart 29. The slots 36 form oppositely disposed pairs of intermediatefingers 37 and end fingers 38. The intermediate fingers 37 are formed atthe ends to provide detents 39 which project inwardly thereof in such amanner as to extend within the annular depression 16 which is formedwithin the plug 12.

The detents 39 when extending within the annular depression 16,resiliently retain the plug 12 within the re ceptacle 11 for all normaloperational purposes. However, when it is desired to remove the plug 12from the rectpacle 11 to break the electrical connection provided by theconnector 10, then it is only necessary to pull outwardly on theinsulated wire 15 until the fingers 37 expand sufliciently to allow thedetents 39 to become disengaged from the annular depression or slot 16.It Will be apparent from Figure 2 that the inwardly depressed ends 34 ofthe fingers 33 will tend resiliently to retain the plug 12 in normallyoperative position within the receptacle 11. However, the wire 15 maysometimes be pulled laterally with a force that might be great enough tobend the fingers 33 or to distort the entire receptacle 11. In order toinsure against injury of this kind the strip 28 is provided with alaterally bent end indicated at 41. The laterally bent end 41 isdisposed in spaced relation to the outer end of the receptacle 11 and isprovided with an opening 42 which is of a size somewhat smaller than thecross-sectional area of the cylindrical part 31 of the receptacle 11 butsomewhat larger than the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical part 29of the receptacle 11. The opening 42 therefore will receive the plug 12in such a way as to provide an annular clearance indicated at 43extending entirely around the plug and within the opening 42. It will beapparent that the opening 42 now will limit the movement of the plug 12to the extent of the clearance 43 so that it will be impossible toinjure the receptacle by pulling the Wire 15 laterally until the fingersand .strip ends forming the receptacle 11 are bent out of shape.

The strip 28 also is formed in such a way as to provide a relativelyfiat securing part 44 having a laterally bent locating tongue 46 formedat one end thereof. An opening 47 also is formed in the securing part 44for receiving a screw or other securing means by which the receptaclemay be secured to a terminal block having a slot for receiving thelocating tongue 46. The part 44 also has laterally bent stiffening edgesor flanges 48 along the opposite sides thereof and extending to thelaterally bent ends 26 and 27 for the purpose for reinforcing thereceptacle 11 so that the securing part 44 will not be bent when thewire 15 is pulled laterally.

I claim:

1. An electrical connector comprising a resilient electricallyconductive strip having the opposite edges thereof bent laterally andtoward one another to provide an expansible terminal receptacle, saidrecetacle being adapted to receive an electrically conductive terminalplug internally thereof and to electrically contact the exterior surfaceof said plug, said strip also having a laterally bent end extendingtransversely across and in axially spaced relation to said laterallybent opposite edges at the end of said receptacle, said laterally bentend being provided with an opening therein for receiving said plug andfor limiting the expansion of said strip edges forming said receptacle.

2. An electrical connector comprising a resilient electricallyconductive strip having the opposite edges thereof bent laterally andinwardly to provide a cylindrical opening adjacent one end of saidstrip, said receptacle being expanded outwardly in all directionsadjacent the outer end of said cylindrical opening to provide anenlarged entrance to said receptacle, said strip ends being slotted inopposite directions adjacent said receptacle entrance to provideoppositely disposed fingers adjacent the en trance end of saidreceptacle, said fingers being depressed inwardly at the ends thereof toresiliently engage a cylindrical electrically conductive plug adapted tobe received within and electrically contacted by the portion of saidreceptacle beyond said entrance end, said strip being formed to providea laterally bent end extending transversely across and in axially spacedrelation to the entrance end of said receptacle, said laterally bent endhaving an openlng formed therein in axial alignment with the part ofsaid receptacle beyond said entrance end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,430,159 Chenier Nov. 4, 1947 2,499,296 Buchanan Feb. 28, 1950 FOREIGNPATENTS 420,700 Great Britain Dec. 6, 1934

